Captive Surrender (8 page)

“
Please come
on through. This way, that’s it. Don’t bother about the mess, now.
Come along, before you catch a chill.”

“
I am so
sorry for the mess,” Eloisa murmured, her cheeks flushed with
embarrassment.

“
Don’t you
worry about it, my dear, Molly to wipe it up. I will be back in a
moment with something nice for you.” She didn’t say what the
something ‘nice’ would be, but the woman’s complete disregard for
the disruption their unannounced appearance had caused helped to
ease their anxieties, and they all visibly relaxed as they walked
into the drawing room.

Given that the family
always bought anything they needed from the nearby larger town of
Brumpton Marches, they were not up to date with the latest news and
gossip. As a result, they had not been aware that the old
magistrate, Mr Bloombury, had been replaced by the rather handsome,
and considerably younger, man who stood to welcome them.

“
I am sorry
to interrupt you, sir. We are looking for the magistrate, Mr
Bloombury,” Eloisa announced hesitantly. She cast a nervous look at
Prudence, and lapsed into silence, for once glad that she wouldn’t
have to converse with this startlingly debonair man.

“
I am the
magistrate for the area now. Mr Bloombury retired to the country
several months back. Please, take a seat.” He waved casually toward
the very expensive brocade chairs that were scattered around the
room.

Prudence gave Robbie a
look that warned him not to move, and shook her head. “I think that
given the state of us, it is better if we don’t, but thank you
anyway.”

“
It is just
furniture,” Rufus replied gently. “I am sure that it will dry.
Please, take a seat. I don’t like to stand on ceremony.” He seemed
to sense that he wasn’t winning them over, and this was emphasised
by the fact that nobody moved. Persistent to the very core, he once
again waved toward the chairs and smiled encouragingly. He had no
idea who they were, but had no intention of allowing them to leave
the house until he knew what they had arrived, somewhat
unexpectedly, for. In all of his life he had never seen such an
interesting gaggle of ladies who were, by far, the complete
opposite of the rather vapid young misses he usually encountered.
Intrigued, he smiled at the young boy and watched him hesitantly
sidle toward a chair.

“
I am sure
that Mrs Bridges will be back soon with something warm to ward off
the chill. Meantime, I think you need to tell me how I can help
you.” He moved to stand before the fire and held his hands behind
his back in an amiable stance that was accompanied with an
encouraging smile.

“
I am sorry,
I haven’t even made introductions,” Prudence sighed with a frown.
“Please excuse my rudeness.” She didn’t know what was wrong with
her today. She wasn’t usually so addle brained. Maybe it was the
weather. “I am Prudence Freestone. I –” she glanced at her
siblings, “- we live at Cragdale Manor, up on the cliffs.” She
paused when the magistrate merely nodded and moved toward them.
“This is Eloisa, Madeline, Georgiana, Margaret and
Robbie.”

“
It is a
pleasure to meet you all, I am sure. My name is Rufus Denbigh.” He
bowed most officiously and offered them a smile. “Here is Mrs
Bridges with some refreshments. Now, I suggest that we have some
tea and then you can tell me how I can help.”

He had to admit, he was
starting to enjoy himself and they had yet to tell him what they
wanted. All of the ladies were a handsome bunch, and had pretty
green eyes and an air of vulnerability about them that made him
want to reassure them of his ready assistance for some strange
reason. There was a hint of mischief about the young boy that
warned him that he was a rogue in the making. Rufus had been in the
village long enough to know about Cragdale Manor, although he had
never had cause to visit the family before.

The Freestone family were
a well thought of bunch, albeit much mourned by the villagers since
the death of their father several years ago. It was unknown why
they had suddenly taken pretty much to themselves since their
father’s abandonment and decided to trade in Brumpton Marches
rather than the local village. He knew that he would have
remembered seeing the prettiest of the ladies: Eloisa, if she had
been in Marchwell before. His gaze flickered over her and he felt a
shiver of awareness sweep through him.

When Mrs Bridges had
poured the tea and left, Rufus forced his thoughts away from object
of his attraction, and drew his chair from behind his desk so that
he could sit down next to Robbie.

“
I am sorry
for our intrusion, sir, but we have the most pressing issue that we
need your opinion on,” Eloisa said primly when Prudence appeared to
have forgotten her manners.

Rufus lifted a hand and
frowned slightly. “Please don’t call me ‘sir’, it makes me feel
ancient. Please call me Rufus. Everyone does.” It was a small lie,
but they weren’t to know that. The locals in his ‘patch’ all called
him Mr Denbigh, and that usually suited him just fine, but he knew
that with the ladies’ nervousness, if they felt that they needed to
be formal with him, he would most likely have to get the thumb
screws out to prise any information out of them.

“
I am sorry,
Rufus,” Prudence replied with an apologetic smile. “I am afraid
that things have been rather fraught of late.”

“
Trouble?”

Prudence nodded. Now that
she was here, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell him or
not. Still, she couldn’t battle Levant on her own and this was a
man of authority. “I am being pestered by Ludwig Levant to sell the
family home.” She watched his gaze sharpen and he stared at her far
too intently than she was comfortable with for several long
moments.

“
When?”

“
When
what?”

“
When has he
approached you?”

“
He calls by
Cragdale several times a week, and has done so since he arrived at
Dinnington Hall.” Prudence felt the sharp sting of tears and paused
for several moments while she tried to gather herself. She couldn’t
cry now. Not in front of her siblings. They needed her to be strong
for them. If they realised just how worried she really was then
they would fret and that would never do.

“
What has he
threatened you with?”

“
Nothing as
yet, but he always drops by unannounced with his thugs in tow. He
has offered a ridiculously low price for the house, and has offered
for all of it, but then also the lands and the beach, and has also
recently made an offer for myself.”

Rufus’ brows shot
skyward. “I take it that you didn’t accept his erm –
offer?”

Prudence snorted and was
rewarded with Rufus’ grin.

“
Good for
you.”

“
I just don’t
know what to say to the man anymore because he doesn’t seem to take
‘no’ for an answer. Only the other day, he paid a visit and, that
night, one of his men stood outside in the dark and was watching
the house.” Now that she had started to speak, the words came out
in a constant flow that she didn’t seem able to stop. “He was
watching the house after dark and only left once we had closed the
shutters. There is some reason why Ludwig Levant wants the beach,
and he just doesn’t seem to listen when I say that we are not
interested in selling any part of Cragdale Manor. I don’t know what
else to do.” Her voice trailed off into a helpless whisper. Now
that she had spoken, she felt rather feeble and helpless, and
wasn’t comfortable with the feeling one bit. However, she was
determined not to be thwarted by their malevolent
neighbour.

Rufus watched a flash of
temper chase away the fear in her eyes and mentally applauded. “I
think that you need to stick to your guns. Levant is a mealy
mouthed bully and, if he is harassing you, then I think that I
should pay the man a visit. He has recently purchased an alarming
amount of land in the area, very quickly, and not altogether at a
fair price. Whatever the man is up to, I can only conceive that it
is illegal, and that makes him dangerous.” Rufus sighed and stared
down at the floor for several moments. He didn’t want to frighten
the ladies, but he needed them to be extra vigilant. “I am trying
to uncover a bit more about Levant’s activities. All I can say at
the moment is that they look to be illegal. I am still trying to
get hold of some of the villagers who have sold out to him, but it
takes time. However, although my investigations are ongoing, I am
more than happy to pay the man a visit and warn him to leave you
alone. I would strongly recommend that if you have a solicitor, you
instruct him to issue Levant with a formal letter refusing to sell
any part of the land to him at any point.”

Rufus knew from the
gossips in the village that their father had died and wondered
where their mother was. Did Levant know that they had no father to
guide and protect them? Is that why he was targeting the family;
because as females they were easy prey?”

Prudence’s heart sank to
her toes and she shared a woeful look with Eloisa, who looked as
though she was about to burst into tears.

“
What?” Rufus
frowned at the heavy silence and watched the looks that passed
between the ladies.

“
We cannot
afford a solicitor,” Eloisa replied softly. “Our father died
several years ago and we are left with a small stipend that makes
life difficult.” For the first time, her eyes met and held his. She
could read the calm reassurance there and wasn’t sure whether to
believe his readiness to help. Nobody had ever helped the family
before. Eloisa and her sisters had always been left to sort out
their own problems. It felt strange to confide in this veritable
stranger and have him so willing to help out. “With no father, and
a mother who is ill, I think that Levant might see us as a weak
link he can pressurise into selling, but Cragdale is our home. It
is ours and has been in our family for generations. We can’t leave
it.”

The calm, matter-of-fact
assurance in Eloisa’s gaze made him nod warily. He wasn’t sure
whether he would have preferred her to cry so he could pat her on
the head and usher her home with reassurances that he would take
over. The determination in her tone warned him that he could have
trouble on his hands if he didn’t set out some boundaries; and
quickly.

“
I am the
magistrate here and, although you ladies don’t come into Marchwell
much, your home is still in my jurisdiction. It is my duty to
ensure that nobody is hassled into anything they don’t want. I am
investigating this man and he is showing signs of being engaged in
criminal activity. Until I can gather enough evidence to put him
behind bars, I can only request that you stay away from him, and
continue to refuse any offer he puts forward.” His eyes met and
held Prudence’s. “Whatever he offers for, reject it. He cannot
force you into anything if you don’t sign anything. I will pay the
man a visit, if only to let him know that I am around.”

It irked Rufus that the
man expected to operate so deviously right under his nose with the
misapprehension that he would get away with it. Rufus was made of
sterner stuff than that, and had the benefit of the weight of the
law behind him to ensure that his job was carried out to the
fullest, and Levant was brought to justice if found to be breaking
the law.

A surge of protectiveness
swept through him as he studied the bedraggled state of his
visitors while they drank their tea and tried not to shiver. He
contemplated offering them a place to stay for a few days, but then
thought of their mother who was purportedly ‘ill’. She was
obviously still at Cragdale. It was clear from the worn state of
their clothing that Eloisa had told the truth about the lack of
finances; well sort of. He was fairly certain that she hadn’t been
honest in telling him about just how impoverished the family really
were. He hadn’t missed the worn soles to Robbie’s boots, or the
frayed hems to practically all of their dresses.

“
Leave it
with me, ladies. I will deal with this man. It just takes time for
me to investigate his activities and gather enough evidence to
arrest him, unfortunately, but I will do.”

“
What do we
do in the meantime? I mean, he has his men watching the house and
is vile when he visits.” Prudence tried to keep the panic out of
her voice and took a deep breath to steady herself when Robbie
glance worriedly at her.

“
Either don’t
speak to him or, if you are left with no choice, acknowledge his
presence but don’t agree to anything he offers. Keep your distance.
I will call by your house, if I may, on a daily basis, so will be a
visible presence around and about your property.”

He didn’t add that it
would help his investigation if he could get a layout of the house,
its grounds, and take a look at the area, if only so that he could
get some idea as to why Levant wanted so much of the land around
the village. What was the man up to? Rufus knew that it was only
the purchase of Cragdale Manor that prevented Levant from owning a
sizeable portion of coastline, but why did he want so much of it?
He had seen Levant’s men, and learned enough about them to know
that any innocent man didn’t hire heavies like that without having
something to hide. Although he didn’t tell the ladies, Rufus felt
fairly certain that although he would make daily visits, Levant was
unlikely to be deterred from continuing to pursue ownership of
Cragdale. It would take nothing short of the man’s arrest to put a
stop to his continual harassment of the Freestone family until he
got what he wanted. Unfortunately, the last time he had checked, it
hadn’t been illegal to purchase houses.